ARTICLE

The Big Ubuntu Brainstorm Braindump

by Jono Bacon | Fri 20 Mar 2009

One of the facilities that has been hugely popular in the Ubuntu community has been [Ubuntu Brainstorm](https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/). With Brainstorm you can register ideas and features for the Ubuntu project and others can vote those ideas up or down. There are also tools in Brainstorm to indicate potential solutions or notes around the idea. Brainstorm has become a great way to get an idea of what our users want.

As we build towards the 9.10 release cycle, I figured it would be useful to present a summary of the most popular ideas of all time and the most popular ideas within the last six months: thanks to Jorge for helping me with this. This should offer some great food for thought for the wider community to work on. Here goes…

## Most Popular Ever

These ideas are the most popular Brainstorm ideas that exist in the system. They show a pretty strong sense of demand for which features many Ubuntu users are craving.

### Fix suspend/hibernate

On 28 Feb 08 – 7053 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/94/
* https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+spec/jaunty-suspend-resume

### Speed up ubuntu/gnome boot time

On 28 Feb 08 – 6208 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/42/
* https://wiki.ubuntu.com/FoundationsTeam/Specs/BootPerformance
* https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelTeam/Specs/BootPerformance

### Easy mounting of images and ISO and CUE

On 28 Feb 08 – 5647 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/194/

### Clean up preferences and administration

On 28 Feb 08 – 5620 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/80/

### Improved file/folder sharing experience

On 29 Feb 08 – 5142 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/403/
* https://wiki.ubuntu.com/EasyFileSharing

### Fix compatability with webcams and microphone

On 28 Feb 08 – 5116 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/97/
* https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Webcam

### Enhanced Mobile Device Sync

On 28 Feb 08 – 4301 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/28/
* https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+spec/ltsp-palm-devices
* https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+spec/pim-device-sync
* https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+spec/pocket-pc-support
* https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+spec/pda-support-out-of-the-box
* https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+spec/syncintegration

### Better wifi support

On 29 Feb 08 – 4273 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/295/

### Easy way of backing up/moving your documents and settings

On 28 Feb 08 – 3497 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/1/
* https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+spec/jaunty-backup

### Disk Manager by default

On 29 Feb 08 – 3167 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/323/
* https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+spec/disk-manager-by-default
* https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+spec/fstab-gui

### Mouse button extension

On 28 Feb 08 – 3121 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/120/
* https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+spec/gui-mouse-configuration

### Better Hardware Profile Manager

On 16 Mar 08 – 2482 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/4848/

### Better DVD support

On 29 Feb 08 – 2347 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/372/

### Better monitor support and configuration tools

On 29 Feb 08 – 2337 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/322/
* https://blog.qa.ubuntu.com/node/9

### Professional looking boot loader

On 28 Feb 08 – 5859 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/21/
* https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+spec/plymouth

### Restoring the bootloader by Ubuntu installation CD

On 29 Feb 08 – 3740 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/1242/

### Include a graphical frontend to edit `/boot/grub/menu.lst` installed by default

On 28 Feb 08 – 2759 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/141/
* https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+spec/graphical-grub-config

Some recommended solutions (startupmanager is in universe):

* Start Up Manager – https://web.telia.com/~u88005282/sum/
* GRUBConf – https://grubconf.sourceforge.net/
* GRUBEd – https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t#228104
* KGRUBEditor – https://www.kde-apps.org/content/show.php?content#75442

### Provide a simple interface for labeling partitions

On 3 May 08 – 2506 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/8008/

### Make ubuntu more responsive (performance)

On 28 Feb 08 – 2316 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/85/

### GUI configuration front end for common services

On 28 Feb 08 – 1813 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/68/

## Most Popular over the last 6 months

These are the most popular ideas that have been registered in Brainstorm in a recent cycle. Many of these ideas give a great impression of more recent desires around functionality in Ubuntu.

### Check my hardware against application blackists BEFORE ‘upgrading’

On 12 Jan 09 – 1653 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/17218/

### Better life battery for laptop

On 3 Feb 09 – 646 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/17825/

### Volume control should close when you click somewhere else

On 14 Feb 09 – 829 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/18045/

### Redesign ubuntu for 2010

On 21 Jan 09 – 773 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/17540/

### Allow ALT+Tab when drag and drop

On 4 Jan 09 – 753 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/17042/

### “Scan wireless networks” option in NetworkManager

On 29 Jan 09 – 750 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/17725/
* https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id#498887

### Easy screen-sharing and audio-chat for instant messengers

On 7 Jan 09 – 743 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/17102/
* https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+spec/replace-pidgin-with-empathy
* https://wiki.ubuntu.com/EmpathyVsPidginUsability

### There should be a simple GUI to do basic disk maintanence tasks

On 30 Dec 08 – 723 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/16919/
* https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Features/DeviceKit

### When abbreviating filenames, cut out the middle, keep the beginning and end

On 19 Nov 08 – 720 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/15752/

### Guest account needs a change

On 19 Nov 08 – 690 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/15773/

### Make System Monitor as powerful as Windows Task Manager

On 24 Sep 08 – 682 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/13626/

### “Speed up” Ubuntu by reducing duration of Compiz animations

On 3 Jan 09 – 664 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/17009/

### Automatic handling of external monitor

On 20 Jan 09 – 647 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/17509/

### ubuntu main menu icons are too big, they take too much space

On 30 Jan 09 – 594 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/17748/

### Native Firefox on Ubuntu is even slower than on Wine

On 21 Jan 09 – 767 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/18058/
* https://developer.mozilla.org/en/Building_with_Profile-Guided_Optimization

### Synaptic/Apt-Get should check for free disk space before download or install

On 15 Sep 08 – 669 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/13235/

### Unify sound drivers and the sound api

On 22 Oct 08 – 661 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/14682/

### Usplash should use a time-based progressbar

On 18 Nov 08 – 578 Votes

* https://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/15741/

Something in this big ‘ol list strike your fancy? Well, roll your sleeves up and start making plans for the Karmic cycle. Lets see how many of these features and problems we can fix. Start your engines folks… 🙂

An invitation-only accelerator that develops industry-leading community engagement and growth via personalized training, coaching, and accountability...all tailored to your company's needs.

Learn More

Want to read some more?

Happy Holidays

Dec 24, 2014

Just a quick note to wish all of you a happy, restful, and peaceful holidays, however and whoever you spend it with. Take care, folks, and I look forward to seeing you in 2015!

The Impact of One Person

Dec 17, 2014

I am 35 years old and *people* never cease to surprise me. My trip home from Los Angeles today was a good example of this. It was a tortuous affair that should have been a quick hop from LA to Oakland, popping on BArt, and then getting home for a cup of tea and an...

Feedback Requested: Great Examples of Community

Dec 3, 2014

Folks, I need to ask for some help. Like many, I have some go-to examples of great communities. This includes Wikipedia, OpenStreetmap, Ubuntu, Debian, Linux, and others. Many of these are software related, many of them are Open Source. I would like to ask your...

Ubuntu Governance Reboot: Five Proposals

Nov 24, 2014

Sorry, this is *long*, but hang in there. A little while back I wrote [a blog post](https://archivedblog.jonobacon.com/2014/11/14/ubuntu-governance-reboot/) that seemed to inspire some people and ruffle the feathers of some others. It was designed as a...

Ubuntu Governance: Reboot?

Nov 14, 2014

For many years Ubuntu has had a comprehensive governance structure. At the top of the tree are the Community Council (community policy) and the Technical Board (technical policy). Below those boards are sub-councils such as the IRC, Forum, and LoCo councils, and...

Dealing With Disrespect: The Video

Nov 3, 2014

A while back I wrote and released a free e-book called [Dealing With Disrespect](https://www.dealingwithdisrespect.com/). It is a book that provides a short, simple to read, free guide for handling personalized, mean-spirited, disrespectful, and in some cases,...